The Sky is mine The Sea is yours
by Incognito Pirate
Summary: Alfred Jones is Captain of the Fourth unit of Epsilon Division, set with the task of protecting the innocent from Pirate raids and enemies alike. Arthur Kirkland is Captain of the most ruthless Pirates, causing the problems the Aviator strives to prevent. It's only natural for the two to hate each other. [Adapted from a Role-play] [USUK]
1. Chapter 1

The Captain stood at the head of the ship, one arm resting against the foremast as he surveyed the wicked waves twisting and clashing together as the huge vessel cut through them with ease. He had always loved the sea; the sea was unpredictable, it's movement had no pattern or rules. A beautiful sight, one taken for granted and often ignored. Arthur loved it for the specific reason that in it's beauty there was danger, much like his beloved ship which was currently riding the wind and the waves as one of the crew kept them on course. They worked hard on deck too, at the orders of their merciless Captain whose reputation was known across the seas among the sailors and lands folk alike. This life wasn't ideal, nor was it legal. But it was the only life most of them had ever known, and still they could never understand the appeal of being bound to land. The sea was their home.

"Work harder you lazy brutes!" He snapped, turning on his heels to gaze across the busy deck. "If this incompetence continues I'll be forced to bring out methods of persuasion." A sick smile rose to his lips, "And I'm sure none of you want persuading…" There was a chorus of voices, agreeing to orders as though they were slaves. The power… Arthur absorbed every drop like an alcoholic craves a drink. It was sinful and vicious.

But they were a family, of different backgrounds and different races and age. Captain Kirkland had accepted them and given them a home when they had nothing but the skin on their bones and a rag to cover them. Most respected him simply for saving their sorry souls.

He crossed the ship, from bow to stern his coat fluttered behind him, the eyes of the crew watching as he ascended the wooden stairs to the quarterdeck.

"Dismissed," he muttered.

The man at the wheel stepped back and Arthur took the wheel, gloved hands pulling it left. "We have unwanted guests at the docks ahead, we'll await their departure then pick one of the smaller ships off. Then… We blow them to hell."

This was the routine; those leaving land never expected an attack so soon. They were like predators, picking off the new-born while it and it's mother were weak.

"Men to stations."

The cannons were unbound and wheeled to their positions, two men on each. One to load and one to fire. Teamwork was what kept things moving, it gave them the advantage of speed, and also surprise. For when the trade ship rounded the corner it would come face to face with the one thing they feared most.

"What's our aim, Cap'n? Are we pillaging or just sending them to the depths?" A good question, sometimes attacks had purpose and other times they were simply carried out for the man's amusement. He smiled, turning to the crewman beside him, the one who took charge of steering when Arthur was busy elsewhere.

"I thought we'd mix it up and do both. We'll take what we can then send the rest to the bottom of the sea. There's no one worth sparing on that vessel anyway."

Always cruel and never forgiving. The young man nodded and stayed put, just as ordered.

"They've left port! They'll be on us soon Captain!" He peered up at the lad in the crows nest, to see the man hanging over the edge, pointing in the direction of the small ship. Excellent. They could be on their way after this, sticking around after an attack was never a wise decision and even a pirate knew when to retreat.

"Hold till the last moment!" He shouted, voice carrying across the main deck as they waited. Time ticked… The ship grew closer and the moment the bow came into view there was no turning back. Arthur frowned, impatiently waiting for enough of the vessel to come into view before-

"FIRE!"

Those were his orders, and they were obeyed in an instant. The deafening sound of cannons would be heard on land, they'd send help so they needed to be fast. Arthur left the wheel, the position quickly being filled by the man standing by as their Captain ran across to the other side.

"Kill them all! Take what you can and send them to the pit! Listen to no plea, allow no laughs and let no man look up with hope!" He was corrupt, and the crew knew it.

"Let them know this ocean is mine."

A bold statement but the English Pirate might just eat his words; those on land had already caught wind of the attack on the merchants. The alarm had been sounded and they were ready to dispatch a team to attempt a rescue mission. While they awaited confirmation, a certain man was awaiting orders.

Alfred Frizgerald Jones.

Captain of the fourth unit of the Epsilon Division, he'd graduated from the military with 'awesome and sexy' flying colours as he put it. And everyone had watched him prance about with all of his prideful glory, wearing his new badge and bomber jacket.

Yes, today was his very first day of the job as Captain to his very own group.

"You're late again.. Alfred." He winced at the voice, well… so much for the cool intro he'd been looking forward to. Matthieu just ruined his moment. "Come on, can't a Captain savour his sweet, SWEET moment? It's my first day on the job, Matt! You could have congratulated me or something."

"Congratulations, there. Now can we start working, eh? Kiku and Francis are waiting for you…"

As their names were said, they approached them, wearing their very own bomber jackets with the number 4 right on the back; its their unit number so they could be recognized. Matthieu, Kiku and Francis were Alfred's close friends, they studied Aviation together, passed the Aviation exam and now they were working in one group. Talk about luck! There's no need to have first introductions or make adjustments to fit in. Although, there's a slight problem when it comes to Francis…

"I still don't approve of the promotion, Alfred needs more training when it comes to leadership."

"Hey, that hurts ya know."

"I'm just telling the truth, mon ami. I cannot follow a leader who can't even make a decision on his own."

Its always like this. Fighting and bickering, and Matthieu is always the one who stands between them- Poor guy. "Enough! No more fighting, both of you…" A sigh slipped out from Matthieu's lips. "Okay.. How about we start working, eh? I'm sure we will be—-"

_'Attention fourth unit of the Epsilon Division. This is an emergency call, board your aircraft for—-'_

"LET'S GO!"

They waste no time. Alfred, Kiku and Francis sprinted towards their craft, hopped into the cockpit, and slid their goggles in places. "Matthieu! Send the information after the take off!"

"Got it!"

They were naturals in the sky, as if it were as easy as walking. And their ascent took no time at all, their crafts climbing high past the clouds and out of view. They had to be ready for anything, so far they had no information on what they were required to do for this rescue mission.

"Captain Jones in, what's the status?" He asked after picking up the radio and placing it close to his lips.

"Lieutenant Kiku in, no problems here."

"No problems here as well, oh by the way mon ami. Do you remember Rachel? Oui, she's that female trooper who confessed to you the other day. But, since you rejected her, her heart was broken." Alfred rolled his eyes while holding the aircraft steering wheel in place.

"So I gave her some loving—"

"Can we talk about this crap later? I don't care how many women you woo, Francis, and I don't mind hearing about all your adventures but you should watch your humour! We're in a mission… We don't have time for this." There was silence. "Do you copy?"

"Oui."

"Good.. Matthieu, are you in?"

"Here!"

"What's the mission?"

"A merchant ship in town zone 2937 is under attack by some Pirates, attack the assailant and commence rescue to remaining survivors. Sea support will arrive within 3 minutes. Alfred, hurry."

"Roger."

This is their job. The Epsilon Division is specifically organized to capture the most ruthless Pirates in the sea, outlaws and rebels. Alfred had done his share of putting down those evil scoundrels and because of his constant achievements he was able to reach his dream, being one of the top Captains this year. His mother is probably proud of him and hopefully his father— "Alfred, be careful! Another pirate ship—"

**_BOOM!_**

Cannons set off, aimed at the three aircraft as they approached their destination.. Alfred could see the merchant ship sinking right next to the Pirate vessel, and there's another one approaching it! Back up? Doesn't seem like it… They're waving different flags.

And they weren't the only ones to notice; the sound of cannons firing was enough to turn the heads of the English Pirate's.

"Captain, Spaniards!"

It seemed the Spanish territory Pirates are planning to steal their weight in loot. And steal their victory. Things were getting a little too heated and luck was turning it's back on them, aside from the fact his crew had boarded the battered merchant ship and were now transferring goods.

"What's that bastard doing here?! Men! Speed it up, take what you can! We aren't prepared for a full battle!" But they would be soon, that swine had been sailing his sea for far too long already. One day he'd have to put an end to it.

Of course it raised a second question, what had they been firing at-?

"Aircrafts overhead, Captain!"

Green eyes scanned the skies and sure enough he was right. Three of them were approaching fast. They were just under the cloud canopy now, in clear sight for those below. "It's the blasted Military! Shoot them down! Treat them like flies and swat them into the ocean!"

Two cannons were adjusted, pointing up before firing their load. Missed… "Keep at it! Don't disappoint me or I'll hang you upside down from the mast!" The blood would rush to their head and cause some painful headaches, if left long enough they would die… This Captain really did show no compassion… Even to his own crew.

These weren't the first aircrafts he'd come into contact with either, seemed someone was out for his blood. Probably some pompous lunatic who'd had enough of Captain Kirkland's stealing. No matter! They wouldn't succeed, Arthur would never allow himself to be captured. The gallows would never take the Captain from his sea.

"Careful, two pirates are aiming to put us down."

Alfred said to his crew then he placed the radio back down in its holder. It's time to put them down, end their reign and make the sea safe once again! Merchants are honest people, making a living by sending goods to isolated areas and helping their land grow, but these Pirates, cold-hearted bastards! They steal from them, kill the innocent merchants and make their families lose their loved ones.

_'You will all pay… Justice will bring you all down!_'

Alfred disliked battles like this, disliked war and bloodshed but a Hero has to step forward when he's needed.. To answer the calls of those who couldn't fight and save them from death.

"Alfred, don't do anything stupid, eh!" Matthieu said, crack radio catching some static. As expected, Alfred ignore Matthieu's warning and nose dived his aircraft towards the two pirate ships.

But the two ships would soon become one, Captain Kirkland had made a decision and planned to stick to it.

"We're pulling out, the Military can deal with them… Battling now would be foolish!" It would be like walking into a slaughter house. The ship had already taken damage from the poor Merchants ship in an attempt to break free of their attack.

"One day, Antonio… You'll lie dead at my feet." His eyes narrowed at the other ship as if he were searching for the other Captain, eagerly awaiting the day he'd have his victory. "I want four more cannons on the sky! There's too little bloodshed for my liking."

This thievery was like shopping to the pirates. Without the use of money, of course. While they possessed great riches they'd prefer to spend that on rum and women, meaningless things to please them during their voyages. It was understandable that others accused them of being heartless, maybe they were… No one ever bothered to talk to them upon capture. They were put to death or locked away for the rest of their life. That was that. Not even treated like humans simply because of the profession they'd decided to follow.

From the skies, Francis dropped a couple of bomb over the Spanish ship but missed, water splashed up hard as it exploded under the depths. Right behind him was Kiku, raining bullets to put down the Pirate crew but he withdrew quickly, the pirates were loading up the cannons again, it would be suicide to go closer—

**_BOOM!_**

"Alfred!"

That's what you get for being overly confident and reckless in battle. His hatred clouded him to the extent he lost focus and now his precious aircraft was falling at high speed.

"Come on! COME ON!"

No, he won't pull the eject button. This aircraft is everything to him! His father gave this before he— Before he.

"ALFRED! EJECT!" Kiku cried out through the crack radio.

The American squeezed his eyes close, gritting his teeth as the wind blew strong. The force caused the cockpit lid to crack and the right wing of his aircraft to burn.

"NO!"

"ALFRED!"

"Fall back! Kiku." Francis ordered as they watched the aircraft crash into the water in horror.

"Fall back….."

* * *

_'Its cold… I can't hear anything and it's hard to breathe. Am I drowning? Is this death? Dammit…. All my hard work gone.. because of my recklessness…. Matthieu….. I'm sorry…'_

* * *

"We've hit, Captain!"

Sure enough, when he looked up, the sky held trails of smoke from the damaged aircraft which had attempted to stay in flight, it was no use, the damage was too great and so it had fallen, hitting the ocean and causing the waves to rise high.

"The others are leaving, should we pursue?"

The Spaniard ship receive a heavy damage from the aircraft attack and Arthur's very own, and so they decided to flee before the British Pirate finished them off, or worse, stole their treasure. The sea was once again quiet, the merchant vessel crackled as the fire ate at the wood and soon it would sink into the belly of the ocean.

"No… Leave them be. And prepare the ropes! I want that lump of twisted metal on deck."

It wasn't odd news to the crew. He often salvaged remains of ships and anything else he took down. He used parts to repair his own ship… Which made it more terrifying. A ship that wore it's victims.

Ropes with barbed hooks, sent into the depths to pierce the already broken aircraft. It took the strength of all the crew to lift it from the waters, it would have been a magnificent craft if only it wasn't so broken. Arthur watch them adjust the yield, the cross section at the top of the mast that held the sail. The rope was draped over it, and soon enough the craft was hovering above the deck, being lowered slowly so no more damaged was caused to the precious vessel.

The crew struggled, understandable since the weight was great. But there were many of them… Strength came in numbers.

"We'll strip the wings first, port side's our priority at the moment. Any slacking off and you'll receive lashes!" Yikes! He was in a bad mood. Their attack hadn't gone as perfectly as he'd hoped.

Some of the crew were busy fixing the damages, patching things up with their spare wood and as for the others, they were taking care of the fallen aircraft. They're confident that Arthur knows what he is doing. They respect their Captain but not because of fear- they have a far better reason than that.

"Captain… There's someone inside." A person? Surely they weren't stupid enough to stay inside a doomed aircraft.

"Don't bother me with such petty things! Throw his body overboard, I have no use for corpses." He watched as they clicked the top open, struggling to move it but soon the water gushed out, dirtying the deck. Green eyes narrowed. That had better be cleaned by sundown.

"He's alive! Unless the dead have learned to rise." Impossible. Arthur marched his way down towards them, pushing one aside as he stared at the young man still secured in the cockpit. Seems he was half conscious. His head was bleeding, probably hit during the crash but nonetheless his chest was moving up and down to prove he was in fact breathing- the man coughed out the remaining water inside his lungs and wheezed out to catch more air before he passed out. The shock was too much.

"A lunatic from the skies it seems… Tie him up."

It was reckless of him to remain inside his aircraft, he could have ejected before it crashed but for some reason he decided to remain inside until very end. Admirable but at the same time, stupid.

Arthur smirked to himself, it had been far too long since he'd had a prisoner. The last one had died so soon.

The crew pulled him out (some complaining about Alfred's weight) but they managed to drag him to the middle of the deck and tie him tightly to the main mast. Poor guy, he was still unconscious but these bastards were already treating him like an animal! What will happen to him is unknown but, for now, the Aviator savoured his chance of sleep and recovery.

But of course these Pirates wouldn't wait forever, it was a good thing they were busy with repairs or Alfred would have been forced to wake right then and there without the luxury of a 6 hour sleep.

This opened them up to a number of opportunities. They could hold him for ransom, earn a good amount of money for handing him over or even bargain their freedom from the military. Sail without anyone else interfering. A long shot but it was a possibility. Or they could always keep him on board for their own entertainment… He looked young, and quite fit too. He'd be harder to break but a challenge was always welcome on this ship.

_"Wake up!"_


	2. Chapter 2

_"Wake up!"_

One of the crew kicked the man's leg to wake him, the action failed, which then led to them pouring a cold bucket of water over his head, which most certainly did the trick. With a yelp, Alfred snapped his eyes open, squirming as if he was ready to swim but the man soon discovered that he was on the ship instead of the ocean- Though at a time like this he would rather be struggling at the bottom of the sea. The crew laughed, clearly amuse at the reaction they received and a few made teasing remarks, none of which Alfred listened to. Bastards.

"Captain, he's awake!"

Captain? Alfred frowned, everyone went silent but that silence was soon shattered by the sound of boots landing on the wooden deck, getting closer… and closer.. and—

"—Woah, check out the eyebrows!"

Everyone gasped.

"Why you cocky, insolent brat! You're lucky I don't blow your bloody brains out for such a comment!"

His eyebrows were magnificent! And those that said otherwise were thrown into the sea to drown. The man tied up was in no position to crack jokes. He should be begging for his life or freedom!

Alfred winced at such harsh words. First day meeting this famous Pirate and he discovers the grouchy guy hates talking about his eyebrows. He'd remember that, maybe he could use it to his advantage and find a way to escape. Though… Escaping by insulting his eyebrows alone would truly be a miracle and a story worth telling at the dinner table.

"Welcome to my ship… The one you tried to take down with your little flying piece of junk!"

Which now sat sadly on deck, looking battered and unloved while some crewmen attempted to strip the layers of metal off for both repairs and sales. Strip a carcass of it's meat, that's how the Captain saw it.

But a pair of blue eyes went wide in horror, his aircraft! There she was, sitting at the far end of the giant ship.. She was broken beyond compare, missing a wing and the windshield was shattered and those louts, what were they doing to her?!

"DON'T TOUCH HER!"

This is the first time he'd show anger after unwillingly boarding the enemy ship, that aircraft meant a lot to him. That much was clear when he refused to leave her when she was falling. And he was even willing to die with her.

"I SAID DON'T TOUCH HER!"

Alfred twisted his arm, trying to break free from the bounds but such an action caused his wrists to turn red from friction. The pirates who were stripping the aircraft's metal ignored him and even laughed at the angry cry of the Military Captain.

"You are a hostage. And I'll use you and your aircraft in whichever way I see fit, even if it's keelhauling your sorry arse for my own amusement!" A horrible method of punishment, in most cases they'd drown or bleed to death before resurfacing.

As sadistic as it was, his anger was horribly amusing; Arthur was enjoying the spark it left. The darkening of those blue eyes as they finally made an accurate judgement, had the fear finally settled in?

"A prisoner on my ship is a prisoner for life… The military have given me enough trouble over the years. Ridding them of… A Captain?" He stared at the patch, his rank on display and Arthur's lips pulled into a smirk.

"They must have low standards. How else would someone as stupid as you earn such a high rank?" The crew laughed, Arthur continuing to poke fun and humiliate the foolish man who hadn't ejected.

Alfred didn't care if the Leader commented on his badge, he didn't care that he was making fun of his rank and didn't care that he was looking down at the skills he'd worked hard to build. All he wanted was to run to where his aircraft was and save her… Save her…

"I swear…. If you break her more than she is now, I will kill you all!"

"Tch… What are you going to do? Kick water at me?," There was a chorus of laughs from the men surrounding them, "Gilbert! Get your bloody arse over here and throw this mosquito in the brig! And remember to lock the door this time… Idiot."

Said man appeared after being summoned. Apparently he'd just woken up from a nap, lazy man, sleeping on the job while others were hard at work.

"Ja, ja. I will watch over him this time.. Keh, its not like he will be able to escape the ship!"

It would be suicide to jump off the deck and swim, there were sharks and even giant octopus exploring the area, he would be dead before he found an island nearby.

"Alright, let's go Aviator, time to throw you in the— Whoa, whoa! Chill!"

Alfred wouldn't go down without a fight. He kicked and squirmed until five or more crewmen pinned him down to the wooden floor, he was still fighting despite his weakened body. The boy was strong… He'd give him that. Arthur watched with curious eyes as he struggled under those pinning him. He didn't give up, not once and even though he bled, the only thing he seemed to care about was that aircraft.

A Captain's attachment… It was something he understood. But he wasn't going to pity him. Why would he?! This man had tried to damage his precious ship and kill those on board! Simply for attacking a merchant ship, they needed to survive somehow! The first mate was quick. He'd knocked the American unconscious by hitting his head with one of the smaller barrels that carried Ale. An ungraceful and quick defeat but they had the upper hand here.

Arthur stared at his limp form in distaste. "That's not going to help with his head wound. I'll be surprised if he's not brain dead after a hit like that… Carry on! And you lot, quit standing around! We've got work to do!"

* * *

By the time Alfred woke up, he was in a small jail cell and it was dripping wet, air musky and smelt like death. Morning, evening, he was unsure.. It was dark there in the deepest part of the deck and his only source of light came from the lamp nearby. It was cold…Fever? Damn.. He hoped not..

"..Hungry…."

"Finally awake…? You slept all night you lazy git. If my crew are lazy they suffer a whipping, maybe I should treat you the same way. Your back would look lovely with torn red stripes." Frightening, truly a man of evil and corruption. "All fear me eventually, even you… In time."

If Arthur had learned one thing about the prisoner it was that he slept for long hours. He'd checked twice and both times he'd still been fast asleep, sprawled on the damp floor. But the third time he'd approached the cell it was pleasing to find a conscious man. And now he could address him and strike fear into his heart.

"You're a mess… I'll have someone send in a few rags so you can clean the blood off. There's no point in killing you yet so you'll receive a meal." A disgusting one. "Then, I have an offer. A ticket to joining my crew… Your strength could work to my advantage."

"I refuse."

He said that without hesitation, clear blue eyes glaring at the British pirate with complete hate.

"I'd rather receive a hundred lashes than join your fucking crew- I'd rather embrace death than serve you."

This one was difficult, refusing straight away which caused a frown to form on the Captain's face. "A hundred lashes can easily be arranged. It'll rip the skin off your bones." And he'd bleed to death or die from infection. Cleaning a whip out at sea was an impossible task. It was caked in grime and dried blood.

Alfred was a stubborn man for a good reason. The Military existed to bring justice to those who couldn't fight, to save the innocent people and put down those who dared to stand against the rules. Rules exist to be followed, to keep people in line and maintain the balance.

"…If you leave my aircraft alone then I will reconsider… I will do whatever you ask and even be your personal cabin boy if that's what it takes but I want you to leave my aircraft be. Don't touch her, no metal shall be remove and your crew can't lay a finger on her."

Any man would laugh at such request but with Alfred's serious look they would be convinced that he had indeed gone mad. It was a good deal actually, Arthur would lose nothing and he would gain something— he had Alfred to do whatever he wanted, even kill— If given the order he'd probably be hesitant but would do it nonetheless. He's no longer a Captain now, one of Arthur's crew stole his badge but luckily didn't take his bomber jacket. Alfred couldn't go back to home base either, everyone probably thought he was dead after the crash.

"Captain." One of the crew opened the hatch to be heard. "Should we continue stripping the aircraft?" Alfred glared at the man then back to Arthur, daring him speak out his thoughts and to make his final decision. If he refused to accept their small negotiation then Alfred would choose death like any noble Hero would do..

"Decide now, Pirate…"

"An odd request, it was already broken when we hauled it up. That thing won't ever fly. Not without extreme repairs." And some new parts; what was the point? It would just be a pile of wreckage on the ship. A waste of space.

But was it a reasonable exchange? Leave the aircraft and receive this man's obedience in return? Of course it was. Metal only made the ship look tacky when it was used for repairs, and selling it would mean having to move it again.

"Leave it be for now, focus on cleaning the grime off the deck. It's disgusting…" With a 'yes, sir' they left, the two left in the brig with the lamp lighting their features. "There. That stupid eyesore will now sit on deck untouched. As you wanted, now… I get what I want. A cocky slave with a head wound."

How would he follow orders from inside a cell? There wasn't much he could do in there.

"You will address me as Captain Kirkland, or just Captain." He jammed the key into the rusted keyhole, unlocking it before it swung open. "Screw up and you'll be punished, screw up repeatedly and you'll be killed." Harsh. But he was a Captain, it was in his nature.

"Jump overboard and you'll die. Kill any member of my crew and you'll die. Refuse to eat what's given to you and you'll die. Understand? This isn't your base or wherever you're from. There is no safety here… Now, get up there and help clean the deck. I'll call when I have another use for you, brat."

"There's no need to lecture me, you pirates want nothing but treasure and slaves to order around. Whenever someone stands against you or refuses to obey, all you do is punish them or kill…"

That's how they work. Pirates only existed to give pain to those who fall into their hands and make their life miserable but at least they treasure their words or vow like how this man agreed to leave Alfred's precious aircraft alone. He's right about one think though; the aircraft won't be able to fly in her state but its better this way than seeing nothing left of her— that aircraft means everything to him, more than anyone would know. Only Matthieu knows the reason why, the American even refused to replace her with a new model! Any Captain will accept such offer but not this guy— no one can take her place.

"I won't even be surprised if you stab me right in my back just because you're bored."

"If I stab you in the back it'll be for speaking out of line! Hush! You are to speak when spoken to." And work when ordered. He was going to be a lot of work for the green eyed man, that much he was certain of.

Alfred slipped off the wooden chair, legs a bit wobbly from losing blood and his head— he just noticed, was pounding like hell. It's like being hammered inside and out but he held his ground nonetheless, no way in hell he's going to show his weaker side to these bastards, he will show them that even if he turns into a Pirate slave, he's still a faithful man to his country.. A proud militia to the very end, the best Captain this world ever possesses.

"Hurry up!"

One of the crew dragged Alfred all the way back to the deck then shoved him to the wooden floor. They all laughed at him as if he's a clown, giving entertainment even though he had done nothing— they're probably crazy.

"Clean up! Clean everything until you're worn out! No breaks, no food until dinner." He was given a mop and a bucket of water to use… This will be a long day for him, seeing that this ship is ridiculously huge! It was more or less fifteen times bigger than his aircraft— that's right.. His plane… Alfred picked up the mop and bucket before making a beeline to his contraption and like what the Captain said she's in no condition to fly anymore or even be fixed using the scraps they have here. Left wing missing, a hole right on its tail, a missing tire, propeller broken and the windshield of his cockpit shattered. It was a painful sight and Alfred stared at her for a good long minute as if he was mourning over a good partner.

"..You fought well…" He placed the mop and bucket down to touch his aircraft's cold metal. "I'm sorry that I failed you…. But I promise, I will do anything to fix you up, okay? So just sit there… It may take a while, buddy.. But you have my word.." A Captain's heart only belongs to his aircraft or ship.

"Hurry up and work!" Said one of the crew and with that, Alfred picked up his cleaning tools to start his very first day here in the Pirate ship.

It was obvious to Arthur the young man was holding a grudge. Or maybe his hate for pirates was drilled into him by the higher ups. He could never hope to understand pirates and the way they lived, he was a land dweller and probably had everything he wanted. Food to eat, money and a safe place to go. men like this were cast out from that safety, they were left to fend for themselves while the world refused to help them. Pirates were broken men, all holding strong together to conquer what they could and find a place to call home. It was a family, a big one. But that didn't mean it was free of pain and death.

And now Alfred was the newbie, the one everyone would pick on till time had passed. He'd fit in one day, just another man enslaved to work till he died.

"There will be time to treat your wounds later. I can't have you bleeding everywhere all the time, it'll attract rats and they'll chew on you while you sleep." It had happened before, they were vile little pests that Arthur despised. When seen they were killed. Shot or stabbed it didn't matter, just as long as they weren't biting on anything anymore. His poor ship was not a chew toy!

Arthur took his position on the top deck, watching over the work that was being done. He could see the whole ship from here, see any mistake and keep an eye on the new boy… He should get a name later. Or perhaps it was better to keep insulting him. He'd learn his place that way, a Captain reduced to this. He was with that aircraft… Lips moving as though he were talking to it.

The Captain made no move to stop it, he was more curious than enraged. But one of the crew barked an order, and he was forced to start his work which would take long hours. He'd see how well this man worked, see how much he could endure and maybe one day he'd grow used to this life, obey without question and forget about the skies. They could dump the craft somewhere in the middle of the ocean. To sink to rock bottom and rust and die, buried to never be seen again.

"Keep an eye on him Gilbert."

"What?! Why do I have to babysit him? Come on, Captain!"

Sadly the Captain ignored him, not listening to a word of his complaints as he made a beeline to his quarters. He needed to lie down, he was tired after two days of little rest. There was always work to be done, and always the fear that someone could be following.

Gilbert was the Captain's first mate, he was the very first man he trusted despite the albino's strange ways, no one understands this person really but nonetheless he's useful when it comes to combat. He had superb skills in swordsmanship and no one had ever defeated him.

Alfred did his part, he cleaned, mopped and even scrubbed the floor to remove all the nasty growing moss. It normally grows in the wooden ship such as this one and when left ignored, it can cause damage and even accidents!

The cleaning was easy, the Aviator used to clean the base during his cadet days and it was part of their training too— more like, part of their torture.

Not that the higher ups enjoyed pushing them to their limit, it's just that some people love abusing their power to make themselves feel better and Alfred, he never complained. He believed that every order given by his higher meant something and that it would serve him well in the future, such a innocent man he was until the present— and this is one of the reasons why Francis disapproved of letting Alfred take the lead. He was a Military dog, following their command without question— blinded by the rules and 'honour' which they displayed, false honour to be exact… Little did he know that Pirates experience the heaviest punishment in life, such as losing their family or being left abandoned, disowned, no one to come home to… Thus, they turned into a Pirate to have a home and to feel belonged.

Killing is still a crime though but the Military killed people too and they used 'justice' as an excuse. Is killing innocent people that are somewhat connected to outlaws reasonable? No… Alfred had yet to see that part, he's still young and inexperienced when it comes to the real world. He was too protected in the developed society and never once experienced poverty.

"You done? Clean the toilet this time."

He could feel his back aching and the blood on his shirt had since dried and now the material stunk of dead fish, the water they'd poured on him had come straight from the sea - he needed a bath and clean water to drink, bandages and disinfectant for his wound as well but it seemed like he wouldn't be getting any of that. He didn't mind but what he feared the most was catching an infection and he can't afford having that… Getting sick would make his body weak, that meant he wouldn't be able to work and not working would cause his dear life to be put on the line. The Captain said it himself earlier… And that grouchy man sounds too serious to be jesting.

After cleaning, Alfred didn't take a break. He went straight to aircraft to start fixing it and thankfully the engine was still in one piece. There were no lose wires, heavy damage— it would still work so the only problem with his aircraft was her body.

"I just need some tools to use and some metal to patch you up… Wiring too.."

Hammer, nails— great.. Maybe fixing her really is impossible—no! He must stay positive and see to it that she will fly in no time. Go back to the sky where she belongs…

"I'll avenge you... Don't worry, girl. I'll get you up in the skies again."


End file.
